"A Dictionary of Islam: Being a cyclopedia of the doctrines, rites, ceremonies, and customs, together with the technical and theological terms, of the Muhammadan religion" by Thomas Patrick Hughes is one of the first educational texts regarding Islam that could be considered geared towards a non-muslim audience. Aimed at providing a comprehensive yet succinct knowledge of the traditions of the Islamic faith, Hughes set the groundwork, though at times insensitively, for understanding the culture that to many at the time seemed far removed from one's own.